Fire alarm and extinguishing mechanism



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheetv 1. J. Y. SHALLENBERGER. FIRE ALARM AND EXTINGUISHING MEGHANISM.

Patented Nov. 2, 1897.

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OF STRASBURG, ILLINOIS.

FIRE ALARM AND EXTINGUISHING MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 592,921, dated November 2, 1897. Application filed March 31, 1897. Serial No. 630,143. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JEssE Y. SHALLEN-' BERGER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Strasburg, in the county of Shelby and State of Illinois, have invented a new and use ful Fire Alarm and Extinguishing Mechanism, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates tofire alarm and extinguishing mechanism particularly adapted for use in connection with buildings provided with heating apparatus and designed to be arranged contiguous to heat and smoke fines or chimneys and in other places where fire is liable to occur; and the object in view is to provide simple and efficient means for indicating the existence of fire or undue heat and for discharging upon the affected surface an extinguishing agent, whereby the heat is diminished and the combustion reduced, if not wholly prevented.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following description, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a general view of an alarm and extinguishing mechanism embodying my invention applied in the operative position to a building. Fig. 2 is a detail view in perspective of a portion of the extinguishing mechanism, including the distributing-tubes, detached. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the trip devices whereby the discharge of the extinguishing medium is controlled. Fig. 4 is a vertical section of the reservoir for containing the extinguishing medium. Fig. 5 is a view showing an arrangement of fusible or combustible, cords or links applied to a roof without special reference to the flues or chimneys. Fig. 6 is a detail view of the alarm mechanism to illustrate the means for releasing the same.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawings.

l designates a fusible or combustible run ner consisting, as in the ordinary practice, of cord, fusible wire, or any equivalent mate rial, which may be disposed at any and all points exposed to heat-as, for instance, the roof-timber or flooring contiguous to a smoke or heat flue (see Fig. 1 of the drawings)-said runner being arranged around the flue upon any suitable supports, as pulleys 2, and this runner or any desired number of them may be connected, as shown, to an operating cord or wire 3, which is yieldingly held under tension by means of a weight 4 or its equivalent. The alarm mechanism proper, which may be of any preferred construction, is controlled by a trip-lever 5, normally in engagement with the trip-arm 6, and said lever is adapted to be moved when by reason of injury to the runner the cord or wire is slacked and the weight descends. In the construction illustrated the weight upholds the long arm of the trip-lever, and hence when the weight descends the lever is disengaged from the triparm of the alarm.

7 designates a reservoir adapted to be 10- cated at any convenient point, as in the attic of a building, and communicating therewith is a distributing-tube 8 of any desired ex tent, which is arranged contiguous to any portion of a structure liable -to be aifected by fire, and is perforated or otherwise provided with discharge-openings to project a fire-extinguishing medium upon said structure. The medium which I prefer to employ and have found efficient in practice is carbonicacid gas, liberated by the chemical union of sulfuric acid with sodium carbonate, and in order to insure the contact of these or any analogous materials in case the runner is damaged by heat or fire and thereby insure the discharge of the medium upon the affected parts I arrange in the reservoir a tilting or rocking receptacle 9, adapted to contain one of the chemicals, as the sulfuric acid, (the other chemical being placed in the body of the reservoir,) said receptacle having a spindle 10, to which is attached a yieldingly-actuated operating-arm 11. In the construction illustrated this arm is weighted, as shown at'12, and is normally held in its elevated position bya catch 13, consisting of a bell-crank lever having a notch to engage the operatingarm. The other 'arm of the catch is connected by means of a loop 14 or its equivalent to the cord or wire 3, held under tension by the Weight 4., and hence when the runner is injured, as hereinbefore explained, and the cord or wire yields the catch is moved out of engagement with the operating-arm 11, and

the downward-swinging movement of the latter discharges the contents of the receptacle into the body of the reservoir.

Obviously either the runners or the distributing-tubes may be arranged in any desired relations with the various parts of the building or other structure to be protected, the perforated portions of the distributingtubes being always arranged, however, to discharge the fire-extinguishing medium upon the portion of a structure contiguous to an adjacent portion of the runner, as upon the portion of a roof or floor around a fine or chimney.

In Fig. 5 the runner 15 is arranged in parallel lines upon the inner surface of a roof to indicate the overheating thereof, as by the suns rays, and the connection of this form of runner with any suitable alarm may be arranged in a manner similar to that hereinbefore described.

The detachable connection between the cord or wire and the arm of the catch 13, said connection consisting of an elongated loop or link 1e inserted in the cord or wire, provides for disconnecting the extinguishing mechanism from the alarm mechanism when desirable to use the latter without the former.

Various other changes in the form, proportions, and minor details of construction and arrangement may be resorted to without departing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim 1. In a device of the class described, the combination with alarm mechanism, a reservoir for a fire-extinguishing medium in communication with perforated distributingtubes, and a tilting receptacle arranged to discharge its contents into the reservoir for chemical action with the contents of the reservoir, of a fusible or combustible runner, an operating cord or wire controlling said alarm mechanism and provided with a weight whereby it is held under a constant tension, said cord or wire having the runner connected thereto at an intermediate point to deflect the cord or wire from a direct line between its points of support, whereby both the runner and the cord or wire are held under tension by the same means, a yieldingly-actuated operating-lever connected to said receptacle of the reservoir, a yielding]y-actuated catch normally held in the path. of said operating-lever, and a detachable connection between an arm of the catch and the operating cord or wire, whereby the extinguishing mechanism may be disconnected from the alarm mechanism, substantially as specified.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with alarm mechanism, a reservoir for a fire-extinguishing medium in com munication with perforated distributingtubes, and a tilting receptacle arranged to discharge its contents into the reservoir for chemical action with the contents of the reservoir, of a fusible or combustible runner, an operating cord or wire controlling said alarm mechanism and provided with a weight whereby it is held under a constant tension, said cord or wire having the runner connected thereto at an intermediate point to deflect the cord or wire from a direct line between its points of support, whereby both the runner and the cord or Wire are held under tension by the same means, a yieldingly-actuated operating-lever connected to said receptacle of the reservoir, a yieldingly-actuated catch normally held in the path of said operating-lever, and a detachable connection between an arm of the catch and the operating cord or wire, the same consisting of an elongated link 14 in the operating cord or Wire re movably fitted upon an arm of the catch, whereby the extinguishing medium may be disconnected from the alarm mechanism, substantially as specified,

3. In a device of the class described, the combination with an operating cord or wire provided with a weight whereby it is held under a constant tension, a reservoir fora fire-extin guishin g medium in com munieation with distributing-tubes, and a fusible or combustible runner connected with an intermediate point of the operating cord or wire to deflect the latter between its points of support, whereby both the runner and the cord are held under tension by the same means, of a tilting cage having its spindle mounted in the side wall of the reservoir and having a weighted arm, said cage being adapted to receive a receptacle for chemicals to be discharged into the reservoir, a spring-actuated catch 13 having its nose normally held by spring action in the path of the weighted arm of said spindle, and a link carried by said operating cord or wire removably fitted upon an arm of the catch, substantially as specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

JESSE Y. SIIALLENBERGER.

\Vitnesses:

- WILLIAM MARTIN,

Cums Kmcnnn. 

